Blue Diamond
by ShadowTacticianVI
Summary: The solution to all of their problems resided in this rock. Naruto found it first, and he needs it to escape his world. But Sasuke's mother's life is on the line, and the streets are waiting for him. What to do, when all their lives are just lies? AU.
1. Two Beginnings

**Story Title:** Blue Diamond  
**Author:** Shadow-Walking-Tactician-VI  
**Posted:** November 13, 2009 (Friday the 13th O.o)  
**Updated:** November 13, 2009  
**Chapter Words:** 6,151  
**Rating:** T (Language, violence)  
**Pairing:** No main ones (that means no NaruSasu because they have a what, 8 year age difference?) But there are minor pairings like IrukaAnko. I dunno what else yet.  
**Full Summary:** AU. The solution to all of their problems reside in this little rock. But... Naruto needed it to escape his world, to survive this winter. And yet, if he took it, he would only trade places with Sasuke. Sasuke would be left in the land of the homeless, his life would be forfeit, and his mother probably wouldn't even last the month. The stone glittered in the sunlight. Their lives have just been lies after lies; could they really fix it now, after so much time has passed?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto whatsoever. Cuz, if I did, well... let's not think about that bout of chaos. Enjoy the story.**

* * *

Gales rammed against the walls, shaking the entire building, not that it was much of a building in the first place. Nonetheless, the small boy in the center of the cold, wooden room shuddered with every boom and thunder clap. He didn't dare lean against the wall; what if his weight was all it needed to collapse? He was too young to realize almost nothing would collapse under _his_ weight. It was obvious to any bystander that he was underweight; his ratty clothes hung off his bony body, every one of his ribs could be seen, and his face was more ashen then the snow that littered the ground outside.

But Naruto never went to school, so he didn't understand it anymore than the fact that he was hungry, and there was no food.

He jumped when the thunder crashed again, the sudden light illuminating his squinting eyes for just a fraction of second—and then darkness again. But in that one ray of light, there was so much you could see in his blue eyes. If there was just one observer to his loneliness, they could describe it in a single word.

Resolve.

* * *

**Blue Diamond**

**Chapter 1: Two Beginnings**

For a while, it was just haze. There wasn't much meaning to the world, and he didn't go out searching for one. Just plain blackness was good for him. It felt like fog would run through him, teasing him with dreams and fantasies of joy and life, until he dazed out again, finding it silent once more. It was rather warm.

But then his eyes started twitching and he realized he had eyes, and suddenly he was aware again. He was awake and something was making noise. A…mockingbird.

Sasuke (because he was Sasuke again) stared out the window into the onyx eyes of the mockingbird, feeling like there was something incredibly odd about the scene. Then he realized it was because the bird wasn't moving at all. Not to flit around like mockingbirds did, and not even to blink away the stare they currently shared.

Slowly, Sasuke drew himself up and sat at the edge of the bed, still keeping an eye on the still bird that had eyes just like his. Blacker than the night. Eyes just like him and… …

"Caw!" The boy flinched at the sudden call of a crow and just like that, the dream-like spell was broken. The mockingbird flew away in a burst of noise, its colorful body abandoning the canvas to another day of gray. How poetic, Sasuke thought a few minutes later. Then his eyes slid away from the now empty branch and squinted up at the sky.

It was a bright, sunny blue day. Such days were getting rarer the farther into winter they went, Sasuke mused. Last night, it was pouring down rain and it took forever to fall asleep to the soundtrack of thunder and occasionally hail. But now it was morning, and he had to get up. Damn.

He glanced at his plain, blue clock. 8:00 AM. He blinked; that was later than usual, but it did explain the unusual sunshine to a degree. Nowadays, the sun didn't rise until like 7:45 or so, and Sasuke was used to waking up 6am sharp. High school does that to you, and no Uchiha wants to be accused of being a late riser. Not that there were many Uchihas left to be accused.

The clapping and ringing of kitchenware downstairs woke him up from his brood of thoughts. Right, it was morning, time to get up.

Sasuke slowly drew the blankets back, restraining a shiver at the cold air. He padded softly across the carpet floor, and swung the bathroom door open quickly before slipping it shut. It let out a short-lived squeak, quieting once the door was open and closed. He let out a mild glare at the door, but moved on. It's been squeaky for as long as he knew. He vaguely remembered a time when a boy would complain about it and his brother would promise amusedly to get it fixed, but time had a way of distorting things.

Thirty minutes passed and he was finally ready to face the day. Except… Sasuke paused in front of the mirror, silently scrutinizing his reflection. 'Ah,' Sasuke's eyes paused on his hand. 'There's what's missing.' With the ease that came with repetition, he flipped open a plain, inconspicuous black box. Inside was a gleaming, ebony ring. It was solid, but not unfashionably so, and had slight silver carvings on the band. The stone in the middle however, was a shining violet red hue. Sasuke picked it up, the ring sitting innocently in his hands. The ring had been in his family for ages; as long as he knew the Uchiha existed. And the gem was certainly of a rare variety; although it had always been on this band, it was only officially discovered some decades ago.

Then came a knock on the door. "Sasuke? Are you awake yet?" He jerked slightly, fingers closing tightly around the ring and its signet.

After a pause, he answered. "Yeah. I'm awake."

His mother didn't say anything for a while and for a moment he thought she had already went back downstairs. But then came the padding of her feet down the steps and her parting words, "Well don't laze about now. Your food's getting cold."

Sasuke gave a small smile, and stepped out of the bathroom. With a swift movement, he set the ring on his finger and admired it for a moment. Well, observe would be a better word, because as much as he loved his name and clan, he couldn't be proud of it. But really, since when did thunder storms put him into such a bad mood? He'd been brooding the whole morning. There were more important things to do, and he couldn't waste anymore of his mother's time.

He stepped out and quietly shut the door before heading down the stairs. "Good morning, mother." He greeted with a small smile. She gave an equally small, but so much lighter smile. With a gesture, he began digging into his food.

For a while, he just amused himself with drifting thoughts, but soon he was finishing up. As he took a large gulp of orange juice, his eyes wandered around the kitchen. There were four seats at this table, but he was the only one sitting as his mother had already finished and was now dealing with the dishes. As he set his glass back down, he idly played with his food. "So," Sasuke began, but then abruptly stopped. It was still so unnerving to begin conversation at the table. It almost felt like he was dishonoring his father, who had never condoned such small talk while eating.

But then his mother turned around to face him, and motioned for him to continue with an understanding and almost sad smile.

Sasuke stayed silent, and then with an air of almost forced casualty, asked, "Do you feel like going out today? I mean, we haven't headed to park or anything in a while, and school's out so…" Sasuke almost flushed, but he'd never flush, not even with his mother. Thankfully, the embarrassment wasn't necessary because his mother began smiling. It was a nice smile, more genuine and wide than the one's she'd been giving recently. Suddenly, Sasuke felt a wave of accomplishment; it was him that put the smile on his mother's face. No one else.

So as she set the last of the plates down, she responded, "That's a wonderful idea, Sasuke. Finish your meal, and then we'll head out. I haven't been shopping for a while." Sasuke rolled his eyes, and she giggled. For a while, the sun was up again, and that was all he let himself think.

But somehow clouds always come back, and for a moment, Sasuke thought he heard thunder again. But it was just the ring of the doorbell.

"Oh!" His mother looked startled for a moment, but recovered quickly enough. "Sasuke, can you get that? I don't remember anyone saying they would visit today…" Sasuke nodded and left his mother to finish cleaning up as he headed to the front door. The doorbell rang a few more times and he heard the knocker being used. He raised an eyebrow; whoever was out there sure was impatient. Not that he cared.

But then he glanced through the diamond window on door, and he froze, hand just brushing against the smooth handle. There was a man outside, yes, nothing new, but the symbol on his coat… A black music note, standing out against the doctor-esque white coat. "Mother!" With wide eyes, Sasuke stepped back a bit, as if burned. "It's one of Sound's men!" he spat out. Abruptly, the mild clanging of pots and pans ceased after a particularly loud clash.

"What?" He could hear the unsteady shock in her voice. He turned around, but she was already rushing out of the kitchen. Her face was pale and taut, but it fell under a curtain of calm before Sasuke could be sure of what he saw. Upon seeing the man outside though, she too paused, and her eyes quickly chilled. "Sasuke, please get the tea ready." He began to protest- who knew what those snakes had in mind? But this was one of those times that his mother really set her foot down, so with a reluctant and perhaps worried glance, he hurried to the kitchen.

He stopped yet again, this time because of the mess of kitchenware on the floor. Did his mother do this? He glanced backwards, worried again as he heard the door open. Quickly he cleaned it up and grabbed the teapot.

"Why, what a surprise. Is there something the matter?" She was using her formal voice again, and judging by the slightly muffled reply, she was also blocking the door way.

"Yes, I think you may want to hear it. If I may come in?" A sneer made its way on his face when he heard that overly-friendly voice. Oh he remembered it alright. How could he forget the man that stood there every step of the way as he lost his family to destruction?

Nonetheless, his mother graciously opened the door and led him to the sitting room. As he walked in, he noticed the lack of shoes in the hallway. A smirk lighted his face; of course the man wasn't expected to stay long. As he entered the room, he gave a short greeting. "Mr. Yakushi." As he handed the cup of tea to his mother, he noticed she wasn't even sitting, but simply leaning against the couch. Wow, she was really pulling out all the stops with the whole, 'you're not welcome' thing. Well, he might as well do his share. So he left an empty cup for Yakushi to help himself.

Yakushi gave a wan smile.

'Boy, I just love my job and all the hostilities that go with it,' Yakushi thought sarcastically. "Ahem," he coughed lightly and began. "It's quite nice to see you again, Lady Uchiha." She gave a curt nod, and signaled for him to continue. "Well, as you are aware of, I'm here to represent the Sound Corporation. Since Fugaku Uchiha's passing, our corporation has been generously supporting your family, in honor of his deeds for our business. If it wasn't for his reliable work, this household would've never lasted so long." One Uchiha stiffened, while the other was quite sure of what was coming.

"In light of the recent economic changes however, I'm sorry to bring bad news. Our corporation is going through some times, and I'm afraid we simply don't have the supplies to support your small family any longer. While we are quite willing to give you a few days to pack, it will be up to you to find another household, and transportation."

"What?!" Sasuke shouted furiously, shooting up. "Are you saying you're evicting us of our own home?!"

"Sasuke!" He jerked to stop upon hearing his mother's sharp voice.

But Yakushi simply smiled. "Oh, it's quite alright Lady Uchiha. I'm sure many other boys his age would react similarly. To be frank, yes, we are evicting the both of you. We never owed your family anything; certainly not for the bad publicity Mr. Uchiha drew to us. You should be grateful we are even allowing you to pack. After all, Mr. Uchiha's account was frozen by us for his deeds, and any purchase you have made within the last three years was made with the company's money."

Sasuke couldn't hold back his anger despite the almost pleading look his mother shot him. "That's not tru-"

"Oh that's right, forgive me." Now Yakushi had a sly smile on his face, and Sasuke felt his blood run cold. "Some purchases within the first year were made with the elder Uchiha child's account, weren't they?" Sasuke didn't need to turn around to know his mother's face was snow white.

In the silence, Yakushi's voice echoed well. "Such an intelligent boy; there's still no new information about his whereabouts, are there? Sometimes I wonder if—" Yakushi was still talking, his words drawn out along with the cruel smirk on his face. And behind his words, all Sasuke could focus on were the gleaming black eyes on his face. He noticed his mother's blanching face, and spun around to kill Yakushi, but there wasn't any time.

All he heard was porcelain shattering, all he could see was red, and all he could think was-

"_Sometimes I wonder if the father and son didn't just kill each other off."_

* * *

"Caw! Caw!"

Naruto jerked awake, heart pounding and stiff as a board. Then, as the cawing ended with a flutter of wings, he slowly regained his breath. Eventually, he sat up, wincing as his back protested after that horrible, restless night. "Stupid storm," he quietly muttered. His tiny, and yet already calloused hands awkwardly rubbed his back, weak and numb from the cold. As he stumbled up, he gave a violent shiver and a loud sneeze. By now, even Naruto could tell he was starting to contract a cold. It was pretty amazing in itself that this was his first sickness in the year. But he was resilient; he wasn't going to die of some cold just yet!

With that wave of determination, he gained his bearings and glanced around his temporary abode. It wasn't much, just an abandoned warehouse on the edge of West Market. It had accompanied him faithfully the last few months, but with last night, he was pretty confident that it wouldn't last much longer. Not when it was already early December. But the problem was finding a better place to hide out during the winter. He had a dirty blanket someone threw away at some point with him right now, but as last night demonstrated, it wasn't enough. And considering the damp wood and chilly breeze, if we wanted any hope of surviving, he needed more than just a couple more blankets. He really needed a new home.

Naruto sighed, an odd expression on a boy his age. His face was definitely young, but most of his baby fat had already disappeared from malnutrition. He actually looked only 6-7, being so tiny, whether solely from the malnutrition or genes, who knew? It's not like he had any parents he could remember. But he was pretty sure he was older than that. It definitely felt like more than 2 years away from that evil hag. A scowl that looked even more misplaced appeared on his face, but another sneeze quickly reminded him that this wasn't the best place to hold a silent ranting spree.

So with the start of the day, Naruto headed out towards the streets again.

It was loud and bustling, but it certainly didn't have that lively atmosphere that usually accompanied such descriptions. It was…dead- for lack of a better word. The streets were crowded with people, but the slow, listless wandering gait they held left them with a lost look. Then the thieves and bandits that hid amongst them shoved and pushed, stealing easily from the merchants that would force a chase, before giving up in seconds. It was a worthless life, and Naruto had to fight to keep a scowl off his face. It would only attract unsavory attention. This was the world he lived in, and it was the world he wanted to escape. He hated it, and he wanted out. But he had no way of getting out… Not that that meant he was going to give up.

That brought a smile to his face, and soon, and he was slipping through the crowds and towards the marketplace. After all, the best goods in the district were there, and he was hungry for gods' sake.

Then his crafty schemes were abruptly broken when some idiot left their foot in front of him and he ended up tripping straight over and onto the ground. "Oomph!" "Gah!" Naruto spat the dirt out of his mouth, rubbing his face with an equally dirty sleeve.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, brat!" Naruto's head shot back up, bewildered, only to stare into the face of a…large man now leaning over threateningly. Around them, a crowd had formed, shuffling around them because of the spilled tomatoes now rolling in the dirt and mud. And he supposed also because they wanted to see this little event to interrupt the daily boredom of their lives. "HeeeyYY! Are you listening to be, stupid boy?!" Naruto's eyes suddenly intensified, glaring angrily at the merchant. Of course, his hatred was matched just as well by the merchant and his assistant who was now hurriedly gathering the salvageable tomatoes before they were squashed and/or stolen by anymore bystanders.

"Yeah, well, it was your fault for leaving your foot there so long! And you should've been fat enough to keep from falling over when a kid bumps into you! Or are you even more weak than you're fat!?" Naruto spouted off, eyes scrunched up, and finger even sticking in the poor merchant's face. Said poor merchant began to sputter and his face slowly turned into this almost puce color, and that was when Naruto finally regained reason. With a quick wave and a tongue sticking out, he quickly skedaddled out of the area. He vaguely heard a roar behind him, but that wasn't important. Just gotta get off the street—there was that one alley that he remembered would cut towards the market place. He didn't use it often, but if his memory held true (and he always held true) then the turn was right….

"Here!" Naruto took a sharp right turn, a grin still dancing on his face, whether from adrenaline or just pure enjoyment over others' pain, who knows? But he continued dashing through the mud and gravel, feet barely managing to keep him upright, until the voices decreased to a low echo. At that point, Naruto slowed down until he was walking again, his breaths making little puffs of mist in front of him. Despite his undeniable weariness from that bout of running (he was sick, after all) it was fun. He considered whistling some tune as he headed down the alleyway, but he didn't know any good tunes anyway so he just smiled on in silence.

As his feet crunched in the rocks and bits of dirt on the ground, Naruto quietly eyed his surroundings with mild curiosity. Why didn't he use this pathway more? It wasn't that dirty, so that wasn't it. And so far he hadn't seen more than the occasional beggar—no nasty muggers or axe-murderers yet as far he could tell. Maybe he just forgot—no that can't be it, he, the great Naruto, was to awesomest to forget things. Maybe-

Suddenly, growls echoed in the empty alley and Naruto froze. When the sound of something ripping and splattering reached his ears, Naruto suddenly managed to recall why he avoided this alley. See, he never forgets anything! Naruto gulped quietly and tried to back out of the alley as quietly as possible, even going to the trouble of holding his breath. For a while, it seemed to work and Naruto almost allowed himself to start thinking again, but then the wind picked up slightly. A small gust battered him, and as Naruto stepped back, he felt his foot step on something decidedly uneven and hard. With the combination of the wind and his terrible balance, Naruto began swinging backwards, and panic overran his face. With a crash, Naruto fell back on the ground, hands splayed out in an earlier attempt to catch something for balance.

And just like that, the ripping stopped and the terror began.

More growls echoed in his ears, and Naruto felt himself paling as he realized there weren't just 2 or 3 massive dogs heading towards him, there was a whole pack of 8 or so. In a small whisper, Naruto indulged himself in his last few minutes of life. "…god damn it."

One of the dogs snapped forward, and Naruto pushed himself off the ground with a shriek. More dogs were barking now, and even as Naruto spun around, there were mangy dogs guarding the way he came from. Then of course, he stumbled again on that stupid thing that had an uneven surface! He didn't even know what it was—it was buried under so much mud it just looked like a weird-shaped glob. But, that wasn't the time to be thinking about stupid things that led to your death, Naruto reminded himself as the dogs paced closer.

But this time, when he attempted to stand up again, he gave another shriek of pain and fell back to the floor, bruising his face. He couldn't walk. Why?! He thought desperately, tears prickling his eyes. As if sensing his defeat, there was more growling and he could hear the echoes through the ground as they stepped closer.

And his defeat indeed. Naruto shut his eyes tightly, hands shaking and heart beating so loud he thought he was going to die of a heart attack first. That might be better. And as he waited fearfully for some kind of pain, somehow he found the energy to laugh almost shrilly at himself. Because in the middle of this insane situation, all he could think was how untrue that statement about your life flashing before your eyes was.

Yeah, because all he could see was just inky blackness all around, and the growling wasn't getting any quieter. It was getting louder, and louder; mixing with yells and screams and sirens and Naruto just wished it all away until he could fool himself into believing there was someone there, and it wasn't all black anymore, just white.

* * *

"…what the hell?" The nearby nurse shot him a dirty glance, but he didn't pay any attention. Seriously, he just watched his mother faint into a spurt of blood—the damn nurse should be thankful he wasn't cursing everybody out right now with all those colorful words his father taught him. When she shot him another look, albeit a little more restrained now, he realized he just spoke aloud. Well then.

Sasuke twitched and returned to silence, hands clenching and unclenching as a bunch of medical personnel stepped out into the cold winter air to rescue some street kid. They said they were just doing it to clear the road of the dogs, so as to bring the patient to the hospital with all speed, but… Judging from the looks on some on the younger women's faces, they were also feeling sympathetic to the dog-attack victim. Never mind the bleeding mother two sheets away. He twitched again and felt the urge to hit something. Preferably Yakushi, but he was sitting pretty far away and there was no way Sasuke was going to let Yakushi get him kicked off the ambulance.

"Careful! Kid's unconscious and has a broken ankle!" Sasuke's eyes shot over to see a little scrawny kid being carried by one of the nurses in dull, white coats. Well, they were pretty muddy coats now. The kid on the other hand, was the epitome of dirt itself. His hair was a messy brunet color, but he couldn't tell how much of it was from the mud. His skin was bruised and slick with mud from last night's storm, and his face was a dusty brown. His rags, thankfully, weren't brown, but they were falling apart and were too thin for any time of the day.

A sneer crept onto Sasuke's face; homeless. He was about to demand the brat to be placed far away from him and his mother, so as not to catch the very germs that must be crawling all around the kid, but then his voice died.

The kid was dirty, sick, and probably dying or something but… Sasuke felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't judge anyone on their home anymore. He was homeless too now.

"Wait! We need more personnel over here! Her pulse is becoming insanely erratic!" Sasuke's head jerked and he stared at the doctors surrounding his mother. Her face was twisted with pain, and Sasuke felt a lump in his throat. The blood…There was so much. He glanced at his hands. They weren't dripping with blood anymore; the nurses had wiped them off quickly once he got on the ambulance. But when he looked carefully, he could find traces in his nails, palm-lines, and that urgent, unbearable need to scrub them off.

Then his eyes strayed to his feet, images flashing in his mind of feet soaked in blood, not all of which was his, and he closed his eyes. The nurse had disinfected and cleaned them, but she said that he would have to wait until he got to the hospital for his feet to be treated. It was a relatively minor injury with only small glass shards and a minimal amount of bleeding, so his mother was far more important at this time. She offered pain medication, but he refused.

His hands clenched again, and his eyes opened, but avoided his mother. Then there was someone next to him, and Sasuke flinched, surprised. It was a different nurse, but she gave him a soft smile as she set the boy down. The kid that was almost mauled by dogs. She spoke quietly, wrapping the kid in a sterile blanket. "Most of us are going to focus on your mother right now, but this child still needs to be looked after. Will you watch him until we get to the hospital?"

Immediately, Sasuke began to reject the idea, but then his eyes strayed over his mother, and he twitched again. God, he hated this. He hated this so much. But he gave a tight nod, anything just to save his mother. She gave an understanding nod in return, and left with the promise to heal his mother the best they could. Sasuke felt like his nails were going to break his skin. 'The best they could do' wasn't enough. They_ had_ to save her.

But then they hit a bump, and the little kid fell onto him. Sasuke couldn't help the sound of disgust he made as he pushed the boy back against the side of the vehicle, but they kept hitting bumps and he kept falling over. Finally, Sasuke roughly grabbed the boys shoulder and kept him still. He cursed again; Yakushi was in the vehicle. Why couldn't he watch over the half-dead brat?

After all, Yakushi was a 'certified medical practitioner', who also had 'valuable observations on the situation of the victim's injury.' Should be able to watch over one little child until they got to the hospital and he made his statements and observations. Observations Sasuke could give just as well. But of course he was 'biased to the situation because of emotional attachments to the injured party'. Well duh, he was the son for god's sake! He'd do anything for his mother.

_The sound of shattering pierced through the tension, and left him frozen in horror. All he could do was watch as the shards of glass were flung everywhere, twinkling deceivingly under the bright light. He vaguely registered the twinge of pain that signaled a cut, but he only had eyes for his mother. As if in slow motion, she fell forward towards the counter, slamming her head onto the hard, white marble. Then she slid down, staining the polished hardwood floor a sick, dark red. The blood reflected the chandelier's light from above, parts of it still sparkling from the glass shards. It was a scene of utter, horrific beauty._

_He was terrified._

Sasuke shuddered and abruptly looked away from Yakushi who, in the time he was remembering, started staring right back at him. It was all Yakushi's damn fault that his mother was hurt now. If he hadn't said those words… He began to repeat the process of clenching and unclenching his fists again, but then he felt cold skin under his hand. Startled, he turned just to remember the kid that was sitting next to him, held up by his right hand. So he settled again to try and relax to a reasonable state during the ride, but he found himself drifting again. The memories just kept flashing in his head with every little thing he looked at. And the smell of blood was not helping. At all.

_He let out a fractured cry, and snapped towards his mother, before he forced himself to turn around and yell at the man that caused this mess. "Call 911! Now!" Stop standing there you bastard, Sasuke thought viciously, yearning to yell it out loud, but his mother came first. As Yakushi hurried outside with cell phone in hand, Sasuke ran over to his mother, ignoring the glass on the ground and the blood he was not contributing to. Adrenaline was helpful in that way._

_For a moment, he had no clue what to say to his mother, who was quickly losing consciousness. "Mother…" Hysteria began tightening its hold, and Sasuke's voice cracked. "Stay… Stay awake mother! Y-you- don't fall asleep. The ba- Yakushi's calling 911 and you're going to be fine soon." She couldn't hear him, her eyes were shutting. He had no clue what to do. What the hell did that Health unit say? Well, he glanced at his mother's bloody head, shaken. Quickly, he pulled his shirt off and tried to staunch the bleeding that was going on there. He didn't know what to do with the parts that were stuck with glass. Was keeping the blood in, more important than getting the glass out?_

_Sasuke knew what he was then. Useless._

They hit another bump, and Sasuke was thrown out of his memories. Belatedly, he realized he was now continuously shivering, and he didn't think it was because of his shirtless state, despite the cold air. Hazily, he glanced around and realized from the window that they were almost at the hospital. Finally. He had plenty of experience in the city, and knew where the only two large hospitals were located. One at the other end of the city from his home, Kishimoto Medical Center, and another along an extremely traffic-filled highway, Seishi Hospital. The one they were heading to was Kishimoto Medical Center.

They were a pretty good hospital. Unfortunately, he was a bit more familiar with it than health dictates. But he knew the director used to be a candidate for mayor, and had been on for decades. Maybe he'll be willing to allow them to stay a bit longer until they could find a new home.

_The sirens arrived and Sasuke let out a breath of relief, glad the professionals were finally here. As medics stepped in, carefully avoiding the glass, he tried to stand up. He failed of course, but his attempt drew their attention and they hurried over. Sasuke was wary of course, but he couldn't do anything for his mother. He had to rely on the medics. So he reluctantly released hold of his mother, only to be bombarded with questions._

"_Young man! You're feet—they're bleeding!" No duh._

"_Mister, what is your relationship to the woman over there?" What do you think, idiot?_

"_What happened here?" Ask the bastard over there._

_With a cold glare, Sasuke stumbled to his feet again, teeth gritting as pain shot through his body like crazy. He could feel the alarm of the nurses and doctors, but simply pushed through them all. Now he wished the adrenaline was still there. When he couldn't take it anymore, he stumbled, mentally criticizing himself and his weakness. Then a silent doctor seemed to appear. He glared at him too, but while he fidgeted nervously, he stayed, and held his hands out slightly._

_He thought he was just going to lead him or something, which was acceptable, but then he began carrying him to the ambulance. At first he struggled, but stopped when he glanced at his mother. He swallowed. For his family, he'd give up his pride._

The doors opened and he blinked at the sunshine.

It was terrible weather.

All the doctors and nurses began piling out, pulling his mother with them on the stretcher. He watched quietly, but didn't bother to hold back a vicious glare when Yakushi passed. He faltered of course, but Sasuke couldn't help from vindictively wishing he fell over dead instead.

Then, there were an alarming absence of people in the ambulance, and Sasuke craned his neck back to the procession heading up to the doors of the hospital. He stared. "Do not fucking tell me that they left us out here?!" He started out in a monotone voice, but quickly reached a frustrated crescendo. God and he thought this hospital was reliable. Sure, they were just kids with minor injuries that could be treated at some family clinic, but _god_. He glanced at the kid beside him, hand still resting on his shoulder. He was still asleep.

With a shout, he yelled at the far away group. "HEY!" Then he paused, what did he say next? That he needed help? He scowled; too late, they were inside now.

With a frustrated noise, Sasuke glanced at the doors. They were left open. What, did the personnel expect him to just walk out with the kid and follow them? Believe him, he would if he could, but glass-filled feet tend to get in the way of that. A cold wind blasted in. Sasuke ended up shivering so much that he began feeling sick to the stomach.

He looked at the doors again, but determined there was clearly no way to close them. They swung outwards, so the only way he could grab them was to stand out with his injured feet. In the cold and dirty mud.

He turned away.

Then he watched the child. The kid looked comfortable enough with his wrapped blanket. Sasuke was still shivering.

He then turned towards the rest of the ambulance. There were a few blankets where his mother was laying, but those were all bloody and he heard enough horror stories about AIDS to risk himself anymore than he already did. Sasuke glanced back at the kid. Still perfectly resting. Uneasily, Sasuke tried to ignore the cold, but the back of the ambulance was freezing.

…

Sasuke felt like a bully. He carefully unwrapped the blanket around the little kid, but when he saw all the rags on the boy again, he couldn't take the blanket. No matter that he seriously thought his feet were turning blue. Then he got another idea and he twitched. He wanted to reject it. He really did and he believed himself ruthless enough at the moment to just take the blanket, but then he had to think of his mother and what she would think of him, and he couldn't.

So he kept the blanket around the kid, but scooted over until they were touching shoulders and Sasuke could just imagine the amount of germs that were transferring onto him. Later Sasuke would blame it on the nerves and shock, but he closed his eyes and settled for a long wait. The blanket was already pretty warm, and within minutes, the chills had receded and Sasuke was peacefully resting.

The parking lot was silent. It was 9:41 AM.

It began snowing.

* * *

A/N: Yes, this is the rewrite to the other Blue Diamond I had before (and will still be up for 2 days after this post. If I remember). But welcome to all returning readers and newcomers! I hope there's sufficient interest in this first chapter for you guys to keep reading. That was one of my problems before, creating an interesting enough plot... But I hope I did it.

Please review guys, because I need constructive criticism, and some sign that people reading this are actually reading and not just popping in before leaving because it wasn't what they wanted...But just reading is fine too since I don't review a lot myself, eheh. I have a little description about this story and my others on my profile, if you want to swim through all the crap in there, but yeah. Hmm...what else? Just help in general would be nice, since I'm kind of lacking in knowledge when it comes to weird practical stuff like hospital procedures and common sense. I'll be editing bunches imbetween posts, so if you get alerts for repeated chapters, thats what I'm doing. I dunno if you get alerts for chapter editing though.

Thanks for reading! Expect next chapter within...the month? Hope.  
~Shadow-Walking-Tactician-VI

(Just call me Tactician if you want, or VIt)


	2. White Walls

**Story Title:** Blue Diamond  
**Author:** Shadow-Walking-Tactician-VI  
**Posted:** November 26, 2009  
**Updated:** November 26, 2009  
**Chapter Words:** 6,540  
**Rating:** T (Language, violence)  
**Pairing:** No main ones (that means no NaruSasu because they have a what, 8 year age difference?) But there are minor pairings like IrukaAnko. I dunno what else yet.  
**Full Summary:** AU. The solution to all of their problems reside in this little rock. But... Naruto needed it to escape his world, to survive this winter. And yet, if he took it, he would only trade places with Sasuke. Sasuke would be left in the land of the homeless, his life would be forfeit, and his mother probably wouldn't even last the month. The stone glittered in the sunlight. Their lives have just been lies after lies; could they really fix it now, after so much time has passed?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto whatsoever. Cuz, if I did, well... let's not think about that bout of chaos. Enjoy the story.**

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Chapter Two: White Walls

"No…no, no, no!" The small, pudgy man snarled quietly with hands firmly fisted in a black, velvet bag. His beady eyes were shocked and quickly narrowing in…anger? No, fear. Behind all the dark emotions in his eyes, he was scared.

And he was right to be.

"Sir? Our lord will see you now."

His head shot up and for a moment, he looked like was going to sneer at the messenger as well, but contained himself quickly enough. The messenger's eyes seem to mock him in return, but the man didn't get a good look. He was already being led into the snakes' den.

At first the procedure seemed to go well. He focused on presenting his other findings and completing his other deals, perhaps in the vain hope his last negotiation would be forgotten. But he wasn't showing this to just any man; he was fooling no one.

In a sly voice from the shadows, the man who had kept silent thus far, spoke up. "My, my, this is a very good finding. I might've even said that this operation seems to have gone…perfectly." Suddenly, the diminutive man gulped, but smiled and nodded nonetheless, and began to speak.

"Silence! I'm…not finished yet." The man jumped at the order, but was quickly nodding within moments. He was sweating.

"There just seems to be…one element that's…missing. I believe," Misleadingly mild, the voice quieted until it was merely a whisper. "That when we negotiated, there was another gem you were to deliver me?"

He was shaking. "I have no ide-"

Suddenly, the room was much colder and all pretenses were dropped. "You know what I am talking about, fool. And I do not appreciate being lied to." The man shivered as the last bit was positively venomous.

"I-It's only worth a few thousand! I swear I have no idea…how I could have l-lost it!" His voice echoed loudly through the room, struggling and failing to keep the fear out of his voice.

The poisonously calm voice was back, with a mocking edge to it. "Hmm…I gave you the tools to get the job done…discreetly of course, and yet… You failed to keep your end of the bargain." The deadly smile could be heard quite clearly in the words. "I would be displeased to have to dispose of the only man with direct access to it, but your performance leaves much to be desired."

It seems to man finally got the message that nothing he could say would fix this problem. He was frozen, and silent.

"However…" Amusement radiated from the shadows as the man suddenly regained hope. "How about this…I'll let you off lightly if you can return that exact piece to me soon…It is the month of holidays after all, and I'm in a rather good mood…" An eerie chuckle echoed.

The relief was palpable. "Yes…yes sir. I swear I will return the last of it as soon as p—soon!" For a little while, he simply stood, uncertain, but the conversation was closed and a chill began to settle. With a hurried bow, the man stepped out. Then, it was silent again besides the hasty clicking of shoes. Soon, that too faded.

But the silence didn't last all that long. Not yet at least. "Should I assist in searching for it?" A younger, more composed voice asked. It was the messenger who led the business man in the first time around.

There was quiet laughter in response. "No… the money is nothing compared to what I have already gained. I simply wish to teach that man a lesson in lying to his superiors…"

"I see, Orochimaru-sama." Nothing else was said, and there was no opening and closing of doors. Silence echoed among itself, but no one was bothered.

After all, silence was golden.

* * *

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

This is the sound that most of the patients would wake up to.

…Iruka couldn't help but think that was kind of sad.

**Beep.**

He glanced at the heart monitor and confirmed that the pulse was perfectly steady and slow. That was the last of it; no worries here then. Slowly, he stood up and stretched, stifling a yawn. It was six in the morning, and no matter how many times he did this, he would never be a morning person. That wasn't to say he was lazy or anything; he'd never let himself fall into a state of disarray when people were counting on him. Iruka just happened to appreciate his sleep just as much as any sane person would.

"I'd say that's about the only sane part about you." Iruka twisted around, spying the source of such a dry statement. Oh and he just said his thoughts aloud didn't he?

A wry smile appeared on Iruka's face. "You're one to talk. Who's the guy that got drunk at his mother's birthday party because he forgot _he_ spiked the punch?" Leaning on the doorway was a man in common hospital dress, that is, light blue shirt and slacks, and a sly smile on his face.

"Hey! Common forgetfulness is not a sign of insanity! And anyways, I pull longer shifts than you. I have a right to it." He gave a small smirk, before coming in and starting his own checkup. That's when Iruka lost his smile and a small frown took its place.

"Not to imply it's not pleasant to see you or anything, but why are you here? The papers don't show any lethal injuries or long-term illnesses." Iruka was mildly worried. He himself worked as one of the doctors in the long-term facility, so he was used to illnesses and large breaks and such. But his friend…he worked as a hospice nurse, the people that treat the patients that have almost no chance of surviving much longer. It was a tough job, knowing no one you saw was going to live much longer, and you were only there to prescribe pain medication and such.

And yet, he was here with Iruka's own young patient, who should have at least decades more of his life if things went well.

Thankfully, the man turned around quickly and waved his hand placatingly, "Don't worry, this boy is perfectly fine. I'm just here because the director asked me to do a quick assessment on his emotional state. One of his close relatives is in the hospital at the moment, and apparently the director is concerned." His still smile told Iruka he clearly understood that was a very terrible excuse. If Iruka had a penny for every concerned relative of his patients, he wouldn't be working at 6am in the morning.

Nonetheless, Iruka didn't do more than raise an eyebrow before changing the subject. "In that case, let me leave you to your duties. I have that massive pile of paperwork_ someone_ didn't finish last night, so I was planning to do it today before some of the scheduled appointments."

That caused some laughter before the other pulled up a response, "Well then, good luck with that. I should be done soon enough, so if you need me later, you know where to find me." Iruka smiled and headed to the door. "Oh, and we're still going to Sapphire's Gem today right? Seven?"

"Hmm?" Iruka paused, hand at the door. "Oh right, for that one nurse's going away party? Yeah, seven. Until then, then." He left with a light wave, and walked through the bustling halls towards his office. It had a nice plush armchair in the corner, and at the sight, Iruka dearly wished he was there for something other than paperwork. He sighed. If only his annoying conscience didn't stop him from handing it over to some nurse hanging around. If only.

For the next several hours, Iruka spent his time demolishing the evil paperwork of doom, rushing to random emergencies, and taking the occasional necessary coffee break to stay alive. When noon came though, he didn't even get a single bite of his sandwich before he was off running. Again.

* * *

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

The first thing he heard when he regained consciousness wasn't the infernal beeping that was pretty common to hospital rooms, bed rooms, and pant pockets, but something else entirely. I mean, the beeping was there and it was seriously distracting Naruto, but the first thing he heard was his heartbeat.

If you ignored the beeping, it was utterly silent, and for the first time in forever, Naruto thought it was quiet enough he could hear his heartbeat.

**Beep.**

Or he could just be delusional and some echo made him thought his heart was beating even when the monitor should clearly drown that sound out.

Naruto blinked his eyes open and stared at the blinding white walls in shock. He was in the hospital. And he was in shock. Like the 'Oh god, I'm in a hospital, I don't have any money' shock. Oh and don't forget no insurance. How could they expect a little kid to have that kind of stuff?

Naruto jerked up, spazzing slightly when his body painfully made aware of its sores and bruises. Nonetheless, he ignored them and proceeded to gaze around his room with something torn between amazement and a 'deer in the headlights' look. He was in a clean white room that was sparsely filled. On the counter there were a few pieces of paper, a sink, and a box of gloves. His eyes slid over. There were two doors and one window. He couldn't see anything besides the sky from here, but he guessed that the doors probably led out into the halls and something else.

Around his bed was a rack that allowed curtains to be pulled around, but it was currently open. His clean, white, made bed was thin but much more comfortable than anything Naruto had experienced. Funnily enough, he couldn't tell where the beeping came from. After a few seconds, Naruto could only conclude it came from the room over. But finally…

He loosened his grip on the sheets, noticing how it left wrinkles. For a moment, he was uncertain and freaked out again, but once he smoothed and pulled at it a bit, it looked normal again. No sign of his tight grip, and no damage done. Naruto's breath calmed down some, that is, until his eyes got caught by the sight of his hands. They were so clean!

He raised them up high, staring with his bright blue eyes. His hands were much lighter than usual, having all the dirt scraped off. There were scabs and tiny, lightening scars here and there, but they were so…normal. He clasped them together, reveling in the clear sound of the clap. He could never hear this, or be comfortable enough to bother out in the streets. And he was so clean! He yearned for a mirror to see what his face looked like after the wash, now probably empty of mud and dust.

And his hair! His hands—clean hands—grasped at his hair, vainly trying to pull a strand close enough to check its color. Naruto could remember a time back when there were still beds and bathrooms that his hair was yellow, but it grew much darker after he entered the streets and lost those privileges. When he found his bangs and pulled them down, it almost looked like he was seeing through the strand. It was so light!

Naruto's excitement seemed to continuously grow and his dark thoughts were soon shoved away. Then the boy began to pull the blankets down and leaped out of the bed.

Bad decision.

"AHHhhh!" His shriek pierced through the door and echoed all throughout the wing. Naruto was over in a flash and grappling with the door knob like crazy. He didn't continue screaming, but his childish terror was growing when he realized the door was locked.

The very source of the panic you ask?

The dress. The great Naruto, was in a dress.

Naruto abruptly changed doors, heading to the side door only to trip and let out a small cry of pain. His foot… When he stood up again, he realized he couldn't walk on his right foot. It was all wrapped up, and Naruto was surprised he didn't notice it earlier during his last dash. But, if he was careful, he could limp. And limp he did, only to find the other door opened into a bathroom. Not helpful. In the mirror, he realized he looked even more girly than he thought with hair that now reached shoulder length without all its tangles, and his tiny, thin state. He stumbled back out, wincing slightly, and began to bang on the door (because no way Naruto was going to bear someone thinking he was a girl! Him!), and miraculously, it did open.

Naruto promptly slammed into the body in the doorway, and was prepared to make another run (hobble) for it, but he stopped in shock. The man barely kept from falling over with help from the nurses, but at Naruto's angle, he could clearly see the man's face. Just one look at it, and Naruto's mouth was hanging open silently.

No, Naruto wasn't paying attention to the nurses nor the steadily chilling floor beneath him. All Naruto was doing was staring at the man with silly, round eyes. And as the man stared back bemusedly, Naruto slowly lifted his hand, wonder in his voice. "Where…where…?"

"Where did you get that scar!? It looks so awesome! C'mon, tell me mister! Please! I'll even stay in this place if you tell me! Huh, huh??" His voice was full of glee and suddenly Naruto was energetic and happy again.

Collective sweat drop.

After the necessary pause, Iruka could only muse (dryly), 'Oh, the wonders of youth.'

Somewhere in the middle of his morning 'jog', a man sneezed.

Well, back in the hospital, Iruka was now tiredly waving the bystanders off, all the while leading Naruto back into his room, firmly gripping his hand. Of course, then Naruto remembered the reason he was trying to escape the hospital in the first place, and had to be dragged back in.

So with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, the crowd dispersed leaving Iruka to deal with the situation. He sighed, albeit with a small smile. When he had heard the short, childish shriek, he had assumed the worst. Along with the rest of the staff, Iruka was a big softie for children. Everyone who wasn't busy with their own patients had headed towards the source in a rush. And of course, when he got the door open, the kid ended up slamming right into him. He certainly hadn't expected that and the staring match that soon ensued.

Nor a little kid asking him where he got his scar, and if he could get one too.

Now though, Iruka finished shooing the boy back into bed who, thankfully, seeming willing to do that much as long as his questions were answered.

Iruka fell into the side chair with a grunt, bringing his clipboard up to his face. Naruto was confused. "Uh…mister, I… Where did you get that scar? And can I get out of this dress?!" Iruka's head jerked up, and he raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit out of the loop.

"Dress? What dress?"

Naruto jumped up again before falling over from his sprained foot, causing a groan out of Iruka (he just got the boy to be still!). Naruto ended up settling with standing on his knees and fisted the material of his hospital gown. "This dress! I'm not a girl! Not, not, not, not, not a GIRL!" He began bouncing up and down on the bed, angry scowl on his face as his hands continued picking at the gown. He only paused to give a sneeze, before continuing his bouncing.

Iruka stared for a second, and then gave a small snort. Naruto paused, and watched suspiciously, only to be surprised when Iruka smiled back. "Silly boy. Sit down—and slow down too—and I'll try to start explaining things." Iruka gave one last sigh, but he didn't get this far as a doctor without some ounce of patience.

Naruto seemed calmed by his own even tone, and settled down criss-cross on the bed. "Soooo…??? I hate wearing a dress! Can't I just take it off!?"

Iruka was mildly amused, but not enough to agree. "No. Aren't you cold right now? Those blankets are there for a reason, and I have a feeling we'll be talking for a while." He glanced at his watch—no appointments for another 4 hours, so he was free for some time.

Naruto stuck out his tongue and turned his face away. "I'm not cold at all!" Iruka had his doubts, and when the boy gave a small shiver (karma), he smirked. Naruto twitched and spun around. "And even if I was cold, it'd be better than being a girl! Girl's are yucky!"

Iruka just gave a laugh. "Wait a few years, and you won't be thinking that anymore." When the boy just made a disgusted face, Iruka decided that was enough torturing and gave a simplified answer. "Well, those aren't dresses. It's just what patients wear when they're in the hospital."

Of course, the boy was still confused and scrunched up his face in thought. "But…I'm not Patience? Who's Patience?! I'm Naruto!"

Iruka gave an exaggerated sigh, hiding a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto. But patients are the people in the hospital that need help. You're a patient, but it's not your name." At least the boy's name would make it easier to find his file. He glanced at his clipboard. With his luck, the kid was one of his. Iruka almost always got the kids with the more minor injuries. And, he reminisced sourly, the ones with the loudest voices. Ears weren't replaceable, you know.

He began to flip through the pages as he introduced himself in turn. "I'm Dr. Iruka Umino, but you can just call me Iruka if you want Naruto." He found that kids were a bit more receptive if he took down the 'Dr.' barrier and just used names.

Naruto nodded back thoughtfully, but he wasn't done complaining yet. "But, but Iruka! I still don't want to wear it! It looks like a dress and people will think I'm a girl!" He huffed and began picking at his dress again, but noticed when Iruka didn't immediately reply. Curious, Naruto blinked at Iruka. Iruka was going through the papers on his clipboard. Suddenly, apprehension shot through Naruto. What if he was looking for the money Naruto had to pay for staying at the hospital? Naruto sincerely hoped that wasn't the case; Iruka seemed nice so far, and he didn't want to lie.

In that case, it was time for more distraction. "Iruka, Iruka!" He began bouncing on the bed again, although he remained seated. "Sooo? Can I wear something else? Pleaseee?"

Iruka glanced up and considered it, before he gave a mock sigh of reluctance. "Alright, I'll see if the daycare has some clothes they can lend. The gown looks a bit big on you anyways; I don't think they usually have children your age coming here that often, you know." As Naruto gave a whoop of joy, Iruka finally stumbled upon Naruto file in his papers. Looks like Naruto _was_ one of his patients.

Brightening up, Iruka quickly skimmed the file, only for a frown to replace his smile. It didn't have his name, and it looked like it was his first time in the hospital. The only reason Iruka caught it in the first place, was because it contained a picture of the boy. But that wasn't what brought Iruka down.

With a soft and gentle voice, Iruka asked, "Naruto, do you remember how you got here?" When the boy's cheers subsided and his striking blue eyes simply stared back at him, Iruka wondered if he didn't just get the wrong file. But then those eyes widened and began darting around in paranoia.

Memories were flowing into Naruto's head, suddenly so much more sharp than the vague understanding he had when he first woke. The dress issue was forgotten, and Naruto was just leaning against the wall, feeling tired. Iruka watched on with concern, "That bad, huh? It's ok if you don't want to talk about it, but do you remember everything? Or are there some parts that seem blank?"

Naruto stayed silent for once, and Iruka realized that even in the short time he knew him, silence just didn't fit the boy.

Naruto was slowly going through his memories, shaking a bit and growing more and more panicked. Iruka lifted a hand to calm him, but Naruto reflexively flinched away. Naruto began to stutter an explanation, and if it weren't for the situation, Iruka might've found it funny.

But at the time, Iruka was worried, and he quietly soothed the boy. "It's ok; you're safe here. Just calm down. No one is going to hurt you here." It was a good thing the ambulance got to him when it did; thank all luck. All Naruto had were some scrapes, bruises, a sprained ankle, and a bad cold, bordering pneumonia. As long as Naruto rested properly and didn't get an infection, he would be fine. The worst he could do was vomit, but from what he's seen so far, Iruka would say Naruto appeared very healthy. He had plenty of energy, and only sneezed and coughed a few times in his presence.

Still, inwardly Iruka frowned. The file said he was found on the streets with no belongings and only rags for clothes. Although it explained while a minor patient was in a hospital gown, did it mean that Naruto was homeless? The orphanage should've found him in that case.

"How did they find me?" Naruto's voice cut into his thoughts.

Iruka's eyes softened as he explained. "An ambulance was coming by carrying another patient. They were going the fastest way to the hospital, and a couple of dogs were blocking part of the road. When they stopped to scare them off, they found you huddled in the middle. Do you remember that?" Naruto did. And while Naruto didn't linger on it, Iruka was painfully aware that had the ambulance been a minute later, there might've not been a boy to save.

"Mmhmm..." Iruka blinked at the boy. Naruto was biting his lip and looking like he was thinking very hard.

"Is something the matter, Naruto?"

It was hesitant, but Naruto shook his head. Iruka pressed on, "Are you sure? You look like you're thinking really hard. Maybe I can help with what's stumped you?"

Naruto was still hesitant, but he gave a small nod and began doing his own explaining. "Well… I…uh. I'm thinking back to how the dogs found me." He didn't explain much further, so Iruka presented a careful question.

"Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes, explaining can help. Bottling it up is no good after all." Naruto was a bit confused by the statement, but after he rolled it around in his head a bit, he decided it couldn't hurt. But…He couldn't tell Iruka he didn't have a home! Then Iruka would know he didn't have any money, and couldn't pay the hospital. And, Naruto gazed at the room in longing. This place…was the perfect hideaway from the winter. It was all warm and comfy; just what he was looking for yesterday.

So, Naruto resolved, there was no way he was going to let Iruka know how poor he was. He would just explain what happened, not what led up to it.

"Well…I was running in one of those alleys, and then I saw the dogs!" He frowned. "No wait, uhm…first I heard them growling. I tried to move back, but I stepped on something weird, and I fell. Then they all ganged up on me! I…I was a bit scared, but when I tried to run away, I tripped over the stupid thing again. When I got up the next time, it hurt really, really bad. It doesn't so much now, but it does if I step on it a lot." Iruka's face soured a bit and he firmly reprimanded Naruto for trying to walk at all when it was still healing. Naruto just pouted before continuing. "After that…I don't remember much. I…I think I heard the sirens, but I thought that was a dream before."

Iruka nodded, and Naruto felt relieved that there was no ridicule. Iruka would never consider doing such a thing, but Naruto didn't know that. He was just glad someone actually listened, and found Iruka was right. He did feel a tiny bit better, and he didn't really lie either.

"But…" Iruka began, alarming Naruto. "What were you doing in the alleyways? Where were your parents?" Iruka had a suspicion that left a cold feeling in his stomach.

And then, Naruto began to silently panic. He had to spin up a good lie, really quick. With his eyes averted, his mind began to race, trying to decide what he could pull off, and what Iruka would question. "I…My parents are out of town. I'm…I was staying at a…great, great, great grandmother's house, but then she died!" Suddenly Naruto realized how cheap that sounded, and threw in some somberness and gave a shiver for good measure. "I, I've been living alone for a while, but its ok! My parents will be home soon and they can pay you!" The slight bitter sorrow that accompanied the sentence was not faked.

Naruto was no practiced liar, but he wasn't a terrible one. Iruka seemed skeptic, but his face grew concerned nonetheless. "You should have told someone, like the police! I'm sure they would've helped you find some of your other relatives." Though Iruka quietly noted Naruto's emphasis on payment.

Naruto quickly shook his head. "No that wouldn't have helped at all! I-I know that Grannie was my only one."

Iruka frowned. "Well, do you know when your parents will be back?"

"Uhm… They said a few weeks… So I think soon." Naruto was amazed at how quickly the lies flowed, but was also intensely glad he wasn't connected to one of those heart beat measurer thingies. He could feel his heart pumping wildly in his rib cage.

"Hmm, what's your last name, Naruto? And do you remember your address? Yours, not your grandmother's." Iruka began making notes on his paper, oblivious to the panic in the boy's eyes. The questions just didn't stop!

"My uh…" Naruto stalled for time; he could say he forgot his address, but he didn't think people forgot their last names. "Uhm, my address… uh…1…no… Maybe Maple Street? Or uh…"

Iruka glanced up. "It's alright if you don't remember. It's a bit of a setback, but we'll just have to wait for your parents to come home. What's your last name?"

"My…last name is…" Naruto didn't have a last name, nor the right to. The farthest back he could remember was the orphanage. Two specific memories at the orphanage. But this wasn't the time to reminisce!

Naruto scrambled to shout out the first name that came to mind. And yet, his thoughts couldn't help but linger on the orphanage. Darkness, red, pain, _oceans _flashed in his mind, and abruptly, something unexpected came out of his mouth. "Uzumaki! My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto's eyes were wide and round. But he had to make it sound believable, no matter how much his head-_heart, his heart_- was hurting. "Believe it, doc! Isn't Uzumaki so much cooler than Umino!"

Iruka hardly noticed the pause and quickly scribbled down the name with a small smile. "Haha, maybe to you, but Umino will always be the best name in my mind."

"Hmm…" Iruka paused. "Spelled U-Z-U-M-A-K-I, right?"

Naruto seemed a little surprised (and pale, now that Iruka focused), but after a moment of thought, answered, "Yeah! Not everyone gets it right!" It was one of the few words Naruto knew how to spell correctly.

Iruka gave a smile in return, and looked over the file in his hands. There were still a few boxes left unfilled, but he'd leave that for a more official appointment date. He glanced at his watch; 2:00. He was mildly surprised at how much time had passed, but he still had some to kill. For the rest of the time, Iruka explained the medical stuff and what Naruto was allowed and not allowed to do. There were a few arguments and scoldings, but it went over relatively well.

Soon, it was 3:30. Iruka stood up and stretched, echoed by Naruto's yawn. He gave a small grin, "Tired already?"

Naruto glowered all cutely, and at his denial, Iruka laughed. "Well, Naruto, even if you're not _at all_ tired, you're still sick and healing, so get a lot of rest. I'll be checking with you every once in a while, and a nice nurse will come along in the morning to bring breakfast. Until then, remember, stay in your room and rest. I have to go now, but I'll see if I can get you some warmer and more boyish clothes."

Naruto had forgotten his complaint on clothes; it didn't seem as important now. But he wasn't going to reject such an offer. "You better remember that! Or…or you'll be sorry!"

A laugh. "Of course. Goodbye, Naruto." With a wave, the door was shut and Naruto was left in silence. He did notice there wasn't any click of a lock though. He briefly contemplated escaping and exploring the hospital, but after that long conversation and all the shocks today brought, he didn't feel like it. So for once in Naruto's life, he followed the rules.

He slipped under the plain, white covers and laid down on the plain, white pillow, staring up at the plain, white ceiling. It reminded him so much of snow.

Naruto shivered and twisted under his blankets. But the feeling of a bed again, however welcome, brought up memories of the orphanage. Those beds weren't as soft as the hospital's, but they were still beds. He hadn't laid in one since.

There was just too much to take in! Naruto was determined to bounce back from whatever mood he was in now, but at the moment, he was just too clouded by all these thoughts. After 30 minutes of rolling and turning, Naruto gave a soft sigh and resigned himself to his predicament. Jeering faces, moldy bread, and cold nights came to mind, but they weren't the worst of it.

He finally fell asleep, haunted by memories of salty tears and oceans.

* * *

"Young man, it's getting late! Go on home!" When the poor nurse received a glare for her efforts, she paled, and wisely hurried away.

Sasuke sat twitchy in the waiting room, constantly fidgeting. The chairs were uncomfortably itchy, everything was blindingly white, and all the smiles that were passed his way were fake. Of course, then he glared at them, and no one tried smiling at him anymore. That was one problem solved.

Oh, but he couldn't forget the biggest problem of all. Sasuke's head jerked up and glowered darkly at the double doors just two steps away from him. His mother lied behind those doors, but they absolutely refused to let him in! Never mind the fact she was his mother! The only thing they said was that he was too young, too disorderly, and that no visitors were allowed in the operation room! What the hell did that mean? He wanted his mother to get the best care possible, but she didn't need operations or surgeries!

Sasuke would admit that his memory wasn't the best of that night (too much noise, too much adrenaline, too much) but his mother should've only gotten a concussion, bruises, and scrapes at the most! Not…anything that would require operation.

But…Sasuke rolled his head up, and stared at the tiled ceiling above. His mother had been sick for a long time with constant migraines. Ever since his brother left in fact. But he had never expected it to get so bad. He hadn't even noticed it until one night, when he ran into her in the kitchen.

"_Mother?"_

"_Ah, Sasuke? What are you doing awake this late?"_

"_Uh, nothing much. Just some water. Why are you awake?"_

"_Ah…Just finishing up, Sasuke. I'll be up soon."_

_She didn't come up that night, and when morning came, Sasuke snuck downstairs quietly. She was in the exact same seat as before, but now a hand rested delicately on her forehead, and her eyes were far too tired. She hadn't slept._

From then on, Sasuke paid more attention, and eventually even got her to admit to having problems sleeping and headaches, but she wouldn't explain any further. Guilt colored Sasuke's face. He was his son; should he have noticed and pushed for her to get a doctor? He didn't know, and he hated the fact. He never truly understood the extent of his own mother's sickness until now, and he found it surreal.

The whole situation was just beginning to truly dawn on him. They officially lost their home, and all the possessions they couldn't bring with them. They lost most of their wealth, and no steady income of it. Sasuke grimaced. He was going to have to get a job, if they wanted even a chance at a stable life again. After all, there was no way he was going to let his mother go work, when she was obviously unwell and stressed.

Sirens rang and suddenly Sasuke jumped up, shocked and wary. He had no clue what was going on, until his mind came back to earth and he remembered he was in the hospital. Another ambulance was coming in. With a tight face hiding his mild embarrassment, Sasuke sat back down.

Within minutes, the doors were opening and a stretcher was rushed in. Sasuke watched in silent fascination as the all too bloody victim twisted their face in pain, and yet somewhere he felt different. Unreal. If his mother had been awake, would that have been the expression on her face when she came in?

Sasuke looked away; he was really starting to think too much. He glanced at the operation room doors again, swinging shut just behind the procession of doctors. Surely…it would be okay if he just set his situation aside for another day. That nurse earlier was correct that it was late, and considering how jumpy he was, the thinking was affecting him.

He took a deep breath, and stared up at the ceiling again. Something else to think about…something else… His hand brushed over his pocket, but it seemed he wasn't carrying his cell phone at the moment. It was probably left back in his house…did he even have his keys? Sasuke scowled. 'For their sake, I hope Sound doesn't try to steal our stuff.' His eyes dropped to his hand. At the very least…he still had the ring; the ring that symbolized the power of the Uchiha family.

Then, his thoughts were abruptly broken. "Eh?! Why are we here, Daddy??? I don't get it?" Sasuke jerked up again, mentally cursing his edginess. It was…just a little girl with her father. They were probably here to visit one of the patients; the girl's first visit too, judging by her words. The father shushed the little kid, and spoke with the nurses. There were nods and smiles. They were let in. Sasuke's fists tightened again, but he focused on something else.

That little kid…Hmm, he wondered what happened to the street kid that he was forced to take care of earlier. In the ambulance. He remembered waking up when a couple of workers found them inside the open ambulance, but he wasn't sure what happened to the kid. Sasuke was brought in on a stretcher since it wasn't really advisable to walk when you had glass in your feet, but some other workers had carried the kid in.

At that time, it was almost night. They were pretty lucky they hadn't slept in the middle of the night; otherwise the blanket probably wouldn't have sufficed whatsoever. But it was still stupid to sleep out there. At the very least Sasuke could say the boy hadn't been any bluer than he already was when Sasuke slipped under the blankets. And it definitely kept_ him_ from turning blue and getting hypothermia or something.

Yet, when they were rushed in, Sasuke couldn't help but envy the kid's ability to sleep like a log. Sasuke hadn't had any sleep since that morning in the ambulance, besides the drug-induced one while they cleaned him up. He wasn't sure how the boy fared, but the procedure was definitely uncomfortable for him. Even if he wasn't awake, the images and leftover phantom pains weren't fun. Apparently, they had to pull the larger slivers out with tweezers, the smaller ones with some stuff that looked like Vaseline, and the rest were scraped out.

Sasuke didn't feel like standing any time soon.

In any case, he really needed something else to do. As if in an answer to his prayers, the doors swung open again and the same doctors that went in earlier withdrew back into the waiting room. Sasuke idly scanned the doctors. Some of them looked very experienced and trustworthy, others looked pale and sick. Sasuke sneered and began to turn his attention elsewhere, until his eyes spotted a touch of gray.

His head whipped around, eyes fiery and searching. He wasn't sure, but—somewhere, he thought he saw… Sasuke glared into the crowd, eyes roving over the heads of nervous family members, doctors, administrators, nurses… There was gray hair alright from some of the elderly men (and women), but none were the correct shade. His teeth clenched and his anger shone more brightly than it had for years. 'If Yakushi is here…'

If Yakushi even dared a step near his mother, Sasuke swore he would die a cruel and unusual death; Eighth Amendment be damned. Easily enough, he entertained impossible ideas of maiming and torture (with a smile of course).

And then of course, he did find that mop of gray hair. He blinked. The man was a doctor if his coat was any indication, and was no Yakushi. His gray hair was shorter, as well as flat and thin. He was older and lacked the glasses Yakushi wore and always tinkered with. His eyes slid down to his nametag. It was far away, and tiny, but Sasuke could see what it said. Mizuki. Not Yakushi; nothing to do with him. Sasuke's stare did seem to catch the guy's attention though, so Sasuke relaxed and looked away. As the anger drained out, he felt himself get more and more weary.

Sasuke let out a humorless laugh. He was really getting paranoid if he thought that was Yakushi, especially considering his good memory. The only similarity between the two was the hair color; however misplaced it may have seemed on young and fit bodies.

Glancing back though, Sasuke had to admit they had the same freaky stare.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, first things first, congratulations on getting to this far! Well, more like thanks for reading this far! Anyhow, hope that was a satisfactory chapter. There might be some typos and such that word didn't catch, and I probably didn't because I'm not very good at proofreading. But overall, I think I did well for a rather dialoguely and plot-moving-less chapter. It needed to happen, but I admit it's kind of boring. Ah well, you learned bits of Sasuke's and Naruto's situation! And Iruka and Mizuki were introduced! Hmm...oh and Orochimaru. Eheh.

Please review and tell me what you think! If you want to. I would appreciate it, but it's understandable if you don't considering I barely ever. But please do and give whatever constructive criticism (please not flames) necessary!

Hmm...OHH, and Happy Thanksgiving! If you celebrate it. Otherwise, happy thursday and I hope you have an awesome day. Next chapter should be up within a month if I keep up.

~VIt


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